


Dating Start!

by smallameangel



Series: Frans Week Short Stories [15]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adult Frisk, F/M, Female Frisk, Fluffy Ending, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-24 19:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17710202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallameangel/pseuds/smallameangel
Summary: Day 1 forfransweek's2019 tumblr challenge!The human came and went, leaving monsters to live on the surface in happiness. Years have passed and Papyrus is pushing for Sans totryand meet someone. Will he finally find love?





	Dating Start!

Papyrus looked his brother over one last time. White button-down shirt? Check. A bouquet of Mettaton brand Glitter Roses? Check. No slippers? Check. 

SANS! TIE YOUR SHOELACES! He huffed. 

The shorter skeleton’s grin widened substantially as he brought his favorite pair of slippers into view, the worn-down pink fluff brown and clumpy towards the bottom of the sole.

* i could just slip into something without laces... he winked.

UGH! SANS! THIS IS YOUR FIRST DATE AND I REFUSE TO LET IT GO TO WASTE! The taller one screamed, throwing himself down to the floor and quickly tieing his brother’s laces. DON’T YOU DARE CUT ANY MORE CORNERS, SANS! IT’S BAD ENOUGH THAT YOU INSIST ON KEEPING YOUR SHORTS AND JACKET ON.

* really bro? i mean, isn’t this just a first date? and it’s not like you’re even telling me who it is, so what’s the point in dressing up exactly? 

He huffed a bit under his breath, but Sans had a point. He had gone out of his way to press his brother into going on a date with someone despite his misgivings. Frisk had somehow managed to break the barrier and humans and monsters were once again able to coexist.

That day he had run off to explore the mountain with such exuberance that he hadn’t even considered that Frisk would simply leave without saying goodbye. As soon as he had realized his mistake, he had felt horribly guilty. The human was gone, and despite calling them on their monster cell, he had never managed to get through to them. 

Sans had always seemed perfectly fine with Frisk’s decision to leave the monsters to their business, but Papyrus could tell that something about his brother had changed. Yes, he was still just as lazy, strangely relaxed, and loose with his puns as before, but there was a sadness in the depth of Sans’ eyes that Papyrus had never seen before. 

I’M NOT TELLING YOU WHO IT IS BECAUSE... WELL. BECAUSE! IT’LL BE MORE FUN THAT WAY!

Papyrus was only being somewhat truthful. He couldn’t bring himself to tell him that he had added Sans to the list of people taking part in the first annual Human-Monster Speed Dating Spree. A few hundred humans and monsters had signed up, mostly out of curiosity, to partake in the city-sponsored event. Monsters had integrated pretty well thus far, but the city wanted to help improve relations and came up with this media-friendly event to help spur other towns and cities further from the mountain to fully embrace their new citizens. 

* at least tell me you’ll be nearby. i’d be bonely without ya.

The taller skeleton heaved his brother out of their house and into his shiny new red corvette, a frustrated scream hissing out from between his teeth even as he smiled. Sans’ puns were terrible, but they were a sign of love. He jumped into the driver’s seat and made sure that both of them were buckled up before shifting into gear and speeding off to their destination.

Ebotton City had chosen to rent the fairgrounds a few towns over in order to accomodate the large number of people who had signed up, as well as those who wished to watch the proceedings. Holding the event in another town also helped give positive exposure to human-monster relations. Papyrus was quite pleased with the idea, and since he also happened to be a great date, he had signed himself up alongside his brother.

OF COURSE SILLY! He finally responded as they made it onto the highway. I’LL BE THERE, BUT DON’T EXPECT ME TO COACH YOU! I’LL BE GOING ON MY OWN DATE.

* mmmhhmmm...

Papyrus turned his head briefly to find that Sans had already nodded off in the passenger’s seat, a soft ‘zzz’ emanating from the slumped over form. He sighed and turned his attention back to the road. Hopefully Sans wouldn’t be upset by the information he had withheld from him. He knew that his brother tended to avoid crowds and preferred small, more intimate places to large, open ones. 

WE’RE HERE, BROTHER, he said, his voice slightly less powerful than usual as he shook his brother awake. GET UP LAZY BONES! IT WON’T DO FOR ME TO PICK YOU UP HERE. THIS IS YOUR BIG CHANCE AND I DOUBT THAT ANYONE WOULD BE IMPRESSED BY YOUR ABILITY TO SLEEP WHERE EVER YOU DESIRE, SO PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD, WILL YOU? 

* sure thing bro, Sans replied as he pulled off his right foot and unceremoniously tossed it out of the car. * ‘s that good enough?

The dapper skeleton gnashed his teeth in frustration as he stepped out of the car in his suave attire: a white dress shirt paired with tweed pants, black loafers, a chestnut brown trench coat and matching Walker atop his head. He popped the stiff collar of his coat and swung around the car to pick up his brother’s leg as passerbys looked on. A group of girls who had parked nearby were chatting amongst themselves, laughing. 

SANS, he snapped, opening the passenger door and putting the boney appendage back into place. 

* pap? Sans grinned at him, his eyes still shut despite the fact that he was clearly awake.

REALLY SANS?

* yup. it’s not like i really want to be doing this, so... might as well have a little fun. ‘sides, i hear someone laughing. can’t be all that bad.

Papyrus sighed and gave in, picking up his brother under the arms and throwing him over his shoulder as usual. They made their way through the parking lot to the entrance of the fairground. At least Sans seemed to be blissfully unaware of what he had gotten him into. Once they had finished their comical encounter with security, he walked a few feet into the area, plopping him onto the ground as soon as he was sure they wouldn’t bother anyone else.

I BROUGHT YOU IN AS REQUESTED. NOW, WOULD YOU PLEASE WALK BY YOURSELF? I’D LIKE TO LOOK AS COOL AS POSSIBLE IN MY DEBONAIR OUTFIT FOR THIS EVENT.

* heh, sure thing bro, Sans replied, finally opening his eyes. * thanks for the... lift...

Papyrus watched his brother carefully even as he forged on ahead. He wanted to believe that Sans could find someone to lift the brooding darkness from his eyes. Stars, he had tried. And failed. Clearly there were things that even The Great Papyrus couldn’t do. 

STOP MOPING BROTHER! I HAVE A FEELING THAT TODAY’S YOUR LUCKY DAY. COME ON!

Sans wasn’t quite sure what Papyrus had gotten him into this time, but it was astronomically out of his comfort zone. Somehow he felt over dressed and underdressed at the same time. He stood where his brother had dropped him off, his gaze going out into the sea of humans and monsters walking around him. All of them were talking, chatting, laughing, hugging, messing around... It was as though Sans had fallen asleep and woken up in a perfect paradise where monsters had never been trapped underground. 

He shook his head and followed the taller, more self-assured skeleton, cutting through the crowd as it flowed and weaved around him. After two minutes of walking they found themselves at a booth, a large entrance with a huge platform covered in giant-sized teacups just behind them. His bones vibrated at the sight of such a huge crowd, the scared clickity clack echoing in his skull as he let Papyrus sign them into the event.

With his hands in his pockets, he looked up at the huge billboard hanging behind the booth: Ebotton’s Spinning Speed Dating Spree! Presented by: MTT INC.

* pap, he mumbled in his brother’s direction as they walked under the glitter covered neon words, * you didn’t say this was going to be such a big thing.

TRUE. AND THAT’S BECAUSE YOU WOULD REFUSE TO TAKE PART IN IT IF I HAD. 

* i really don’t wanna disappoint ya bud, but i don’t think this is exactly my cup of tea.

Sans watched his brother’s long face become even longer as they stepped up to the humongous platform, a myriad of different-colored teacups to choose from. Papyrus turned swiftly on his heels to face him, a fierce, glowing glint in his eye sockets. 

JUST HUMOR ME. JUST THIS ONCE. ALRIGHT?

How could he deny his brother? There was no way he could say no. It was as though Papyrus was feeding him his courage. Sans took a deep breath, his bones finally settling as he flashed him a more honest grin. 

* sure thing. just, don’t pull this kind of stunt again. you know i’m not nearly as cool as you. gotta prep me for this sorta stuff, alright?

And with that, the pair split off. Papyrus bounded over to a bright red teacup several yards away, leaving Sans to wander the platform until he found his assigned teacup. He hopped into the teal teacup and looked around. Despite its large size, it was still pretty small. There was space for only two seats, and the center table between them had a glittery sticker with the emblem for the event, a teacup with two hearts floating above it. He looked at the structure of the teacup and noted that it was cut in half, the two parts fitting perfectly in place but seemingly easy to seperate.

Shrugging his shoulders, he closed his eyes once more and napped, passing the time even as he felt the presence of another soul sit before him. It wasn’t them. He could tell. 

Sans sat there, immersed in his thoughts as he contemplated how likely it would be for him to meet his soulmate once more. He couldn’t blame Frisk for their actions... The scientist in him had compelled him to keep precise notes as the human had traversed the monster kingdom. One, two, three... Countless times they had chosen to fall into the Ruins and make their way through the mountain. Their actions had been slightly different each time, but the way they had looked at him. That. That had never changed. 

Each time they had met as if it was their first, but as soon as Frisk had turned around to face him in the snowy forest, he knew. He could feel the gentle pull of his soul towards theirs. It was terrifying and liberating at the same time. He couldn’t help but crack as many puns as possible to get them to laugh, even as he did his best to keep his distance. They didn’t know. They were human. And even if they did, why would they want to stay with him? Fall in love with him? No. 

His journal detailed the times the human had made it back to the surface after having fought against Asgore. How cold and lonely he felt. How he had tried to call them, getting dead air even as he tried to make small talk in the hopes that they would answer him. That he could hear their voice one last time. Days would go by, and then, without any warning, the loop would repeat itself. He would meet them again for the first time, repeating his jokes, his mood significantly lifted though he could only recall what had happened before by the notes he had left in his journal, its pages protected from the time loop through a small time capsule in the shape of a drawer in his lab.

* Beauties and Gentle Beauties! Welcome to the first ever MTT INC sponsored event! Ebotton’s Spinning Speed Dating Spree!

Sans slouched just a tad more into his seat as he listened to Mettaton’s flourish-filled explanation of the event. He had five minutes with each person he would meet, at which point the teacups would break apart and shift around to other potential dates. The event was slated to last two hours, far longer than an average speed dating event, but that would still only allow each person to meet a tiny fraction of the overall contestants. 24 in total. In order to help even out the discrepancy, couples could decide to bind their teacup halves together by pressing the sticker in the center if they felt they had found a good match. 

* Ready? Set? Go!

The lazy skeleton finally opened his eyes to see that the sun had set, leaving the area bathed in the glow of Mettaton’s fluorescent lights, the large billboard above the entrance now displaying the timer for that turn. He chatted with each date he met, making some puns while still keeping his distance and remaining aloof. 

He only had one partner, one soulmate. 

Their souls were pretty, for the most part. Some of them shown brilliantly, while others were sullied and dulled by time or poor choices. They were all seemingly decent people though, and it was certainly an interesting experience to be able to talk to so many humans and monsters. 

Their soul, though... Frisk’s soul...

It was round 23. Most teacups had already stopped switching partners, the people inside exuding a content aura of interest or complacency. He hadn’t bothered pushing the sticker button yet. All in all, it had been a pretty fun night. Only two more dates and he would be done. Then hopefully Papyrus would stop asking him to go on dates. There was no point in dating anyone but Frisk.

He sighed as the teacup halves danced between them in the center of the platform, pairing up one at a time, a resounding click echoing out from the machinery underneath the stage each time. When his half finally connected to another, he was astounded. That soul. That one felt different. Different from all the others, and yet so familiar to him. He pulled his hands out of his pockets for the first time that night, pressing his left hand roughly against his sternum as his soul ached inside. 

Before him was a young human in a long cornflower blue dress, a knitted magenta scarf wrapped tightly around their neck as it drapped gracefully over their slender shoulders. Their hair was a soft, dusty brown, though he wasn’t sure how long it was due to it being covered by their scarf. Their skin had a beautiful golden glow to it as they were bathed in the lights hanging above them. Hazel eyes met his, though he couldn’t tell if his pupils were shimmering or dim. The look they gave him sent giddy shivers down his spine even as his soul thumped painfully in his chest. 

It was them. No doubt about it.

* heh... fancy seeing you here, of all places.

Frisk smiled at him. His soul felt like it was going to break through his ribcage. He pressed against his sturnum even harder, willing the pain and overwhelming relief of finding his soulmate to dissipate, if only for a minute.

* this wasn’t my idea y’know, he said shakily, begining to ramble as his soul thumped harder and harder against his ribs. * pap’s been pushing me to get out and meet people. he thinks i need to find a date. pretty silly right? heh, what am i even saying? i bet i sound pretty teapsy right now, huh?

Frisk laughed. It was light and airy and everything that he had ever wanted to hear in his life. Oh, how he’d missed that sound. 

* I missed you too, Sans. 

His soul skipped a beat as their voice danced to his ear holes. 

* I’m sorry I never stayed in touch with you. I wasn’t in a place where I could talk... Papyrus’ messages really helped lift my spirits though. Would you thank him for me?

* of course, kid. and—

* And you too. Your messages meant everything to me. How is everyone this time? Did I get you the ending you wanted?

Two minutes left. Sans stared blankly for a moment, mouthing words without any sound. 

* In anycase, I’m glad you’re doing well. I just thought I would stop by to see how most monsters are doing. None of them even recognized me! Aren’t we lucky we happened to be paired up?

One minute left. He smiled dumbly and nodded. Why did it sound like they were just checking in on them? Why did it sound like they were going to disappear again, just as they had years ago? He tried to talk but was silenced by the beautiful glimmer in their hazel eyes. 

Thirty seconds left. He imagined the teacup halves breaking apart, leaving him adrift in the sea of people, Frisk’s presence becoming nothing more than a bittersweet memory once more. No. He couldn’t let that happen. Not again. If he remained complacent this time, he would lose them again, possibly forever. 

It was now or never. He pulled his trembling hand away from his sternum and took a deep breath. 

* hey, frisk, what’s that over there? he asked, pointing behind them.

The human cocked their head quizzically, then turned around to look in the direction of his boney phalange. Now was his chance.

Sans stood up, leaning forward in the cramped space by pressing his weight against the small round table between them. He placed his right hand onto the sticker, his weight pressing it down and sealing the two halves of the teacup together. The unfamiliar whizzing and whirring of the teacup as it fused together brought the human’s attention back, and they turned their head back around to face him. Perfect. He leaned forward just a little more as they looked at him, catching their sun-kissed cheek with his left hand, their beautiful hazel eyes round with surprise. 

Smooth bone pressed against gently yielding flesh. His soul rocketed out of his body as did theirs, the two tiny hearts twirling briliantly around them, the lights from around the stage refracting and adding to their beauty. One in a orient opalescence, the other with the fire of the most radiant of rubies. Their souls’ dance was almost as euphoric as the feeling Sans had as he kissed them. 

He closed his eyes once they did, reveling in the presence of his destined partner. Time seemed to slow to a stop, though he could hear cheers and clapping far off in the distance. Mettaton was probably using this as the perfect opportunity to showcase human-monster relations. Not that he cared about any of that right then. All that mattered was Frisk. He had found them, somehow, and he would never let them slip through his complacent fingers again.

* i love you! his soul cried out over and over as the teacup halves around them spun on to different dates. 

* I love you too... theirs replied softly. 

* Thank you, Sans, Frisk whispered as they finally broke their kiss, their foreheads now pressed tightly against one another.

* for what?

* For forgiving me. I thought you hated me for constantly dragging you through the same week over and over again.

Sans couldn’t help but laugh, the tension from bones finally receding after years of holding it in.

* heh. as long as i can be with you from now on, it was all worth it to me.

The last round ended in a flash of bliss, the new couple stepping out of their teal and pink colored teacup with large smiles on their faces. Papyrus could immediately tell the difference in his brother. The darkness in his eye sockets was gone, replaced with a hope and light that he had only seen when Frisk had been underground with them. He ran to them with all of his strength and scooped the pair of lovebirds into his arms.

SEE SANS? I TOLD YOU TODAY WAS YOUR LUCKY DAY!

* guess you were right, pap. thanks for always lifting me up.

PFFF! Papyrus laughed, not minding Sans’ ridiculous pun. OF COURSE BROTHER! THAT’S ONE OF MY MOST OUSTANDING QUALITIES. AND YOU, DEAR HUMAN! I’M SO GLAD TO FINALLY SEE YOU AGAIN! SAY YOU’LL STAY THIS TIME! PLEASE!

* Of course, Papyrus. I think I’ve found where I need to be...finally.


End file.
